Constitution:
2-3 December 1979; revised 1989 to expand powers of the presidency
and eliminate the prime ministership
Legal system:
the Constitution codifies Islamic principles of government
Suffrage:
15 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-KHAMENEI
(since 4 June 1989)
elections: leader of the Islamic Revolution appointed for life by
the Assembly of Experts; president elected by popular vote for a
four-year term; election last held 8 June 2001 (next to be held June
2005)
election results: (Ali) Mohammad KHATAMI-Ardakani reelected
president; percent of vote - (Ali) Mohammad KHATAMI-Ardakani 77%
cabinet: Council of Ministers selected by the president with
legislative approval; the Supreme Leader has some control over
appointments to the more sensitive ministries
head of government: President (Ali) Mohammad KHATAMI-Ardakani (since
3 August 1997); First Vice President Dr. Mohammad Reza AREF-Yazdi
(since 26 August 2001)
Legislative branch:
unicameral Islamic Consultative Assembly or
Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami (290 seats, note - changed from 270 seats
with the 18 February 2000 election; members elected by popular vote
to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 20 February 2004 with a runoff held 7 May 2004
(next to be held February 2008)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats by party -
conservatives/Islamists 190, reformers 50, independents 43,
religious minorities 5, and 2 seats unaccounted for
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court - above a special clerical court, a revolutionary
court, and a special administrative court
Political parties and leaders:
formal political parties are a relatively new phenomenon in the
Islamic Republic and most conservatives still prefer to work through
political pressure groups rather than parties; a loose pro-reform
coalition called the 2nd Khordad front, which includes political
parties as well as less formal pressure groups and organizations,
achieved considerable success at elections to the sixth Majles in
early 2000; groups in the coalition include: Islamic Iran
Participation Front (IIPF); Executives of Construction Party
(Kargozaran); Solidarity Party; Islamic Labor Party; Mardom Salari;
Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization (MIRO); and
Militant Clerics Society (Ruhaniyun); the coalition is expected to
participate in the seventh Majles elections in early 2004; a new
apparently conservative group, the Builders of Islamic Iran, took a
leading position in the new Majles afte winning a majority of the
seats in February 2004
Political pressure groups and leaders: political pressure groups conduct most of Iran's political activities; groups that generally support the Islamic Republic include Ansar-e Hizballah, Muslim Students Following the Line of the Imam, Tehran Militant Clergy Association (Ruhaniyat), Islamic Coalition Party (Motalefeh), and Islamic Engineers Society; active pro-reform student groups include the Organization for Strengthening Unity; opposition groups include Freedom Movement of Iran, the National Front, Marz-e Por Gohar, and various ethnic and Monarchist organizations; armed political groups that have been almost completely repressed by the government include Mujahidin-e Khalq Organization (MEK), People's Fedayeen, Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, and Komala
International organization participation:
CP, ECO, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory),
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC,
IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none; note - Iran has an Interests Section in the Pakistani
Embassy; address: Iranian Interests Section, Pakistani Embassy, 2209
Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007; telephone: [1] (202)
965-4990; FAX [1] (202) 965-1073